APP Asia Tour earns dual sanctioning in major regional breakthrough

The APP Asia Tour became the first professional circuit in Asia to earn dual sanctioning from both the Asian Pickleball Association and the Asia Federation of Pickleball. The Asia Federation of Pickleball serves as the Asian confederation for the International Pickleball Federation and the World Pickleball Federation, has 18 members and estimates 70,000 players in member countries.

The Asian Pickleball Association has made Olympic Council of Asia recognition and eventual Asian Games inclusion part of its stated mission. The Asia Federation of Pickleball approved new bylaws on Sept. 20, 2025, and has been building through a “No Country Left Behind” framework since forming a continental alliance with the European Pickleball Federation on July 30, 2023.

The National Pickleball League's pro division has 12 teams across three state-based conferences, while Division 2 has 24 teams across four conferences, and the league’s pro matches are best-of-five sets with rally scoring in women’s doubles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles, while singles are still played to 15 with traditional scoring. Registration for the shuffle draft opened May 25, nominations closed May 29 and the draft took place June 1, with teams allowed to release up to two players back into the draft pool in exchange for better draft position.

New South Wales Heat added Kairen Levers and Dan Fogle, while Queensland Brumbies brought in Joey Farias and Kirsty McCorandale. The league’s calendar put Round 5 on June 27 and the finals on Aug. 28-30, with nine teams set to qualify for the pro-league postseason, the top three from each conference.

The National Pickleball League also runs the Pickleball Community Cup in Gawler. The Kitchen has more than 1.4 million followers across social media.